Enrique conference after winning the title

Luis Enrique placed great value on Sunday’s victory in Yokohama over River Plate. “In football the future is uncertain. What is clear is that it is more and more difficult to win trophies. We are very happy,” explained the Barça coach following his team’s 3-0 victory in the final over their Argentinian rivals. “The level we were at today, any team would have had difficulty with us,” said the Asturian.

The boss highlighted the hunger of his players who end 2015 with no less than five trophies under their belts. “If they have shown anything it is their hunger to win trophies,” he added. To underline that he put forward the example of Leo Messi and Neymar, both of whom missed the semi-final but were determined to return for the final come what may.

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“Just a few days Messi had renal colic and eight days ago Neymar suffered a slight injury and both have taken part [against River]. Messi could barely stand up but he still wanted to play in the semi-final,” revealed Luis Enrique. On the number ‘10’ he continued: “He is a leader, we all know that, he is our reference point. But that the players with most weight in the dressing room are the first to show their desire to compete and win is a motivation to the rest.”

To round off he had words of praise for rivals River Plate: “They competed well, they were brave. They are a well-organised team and Gallardo is an excellent coach. They were always in the game.”